PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE d/b/a EVERSOURCE ENERGY
ORDER No. 25, 970
DE 16-241
New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission
December 7, 2016
Petition
for Approval of Gas Capacity Contract with Algonquin Gas
Transmission, LLC, Gas Capacity Program Details, and
Distribution Rate Tariff for Cost Recovery
Order
Denying Motions for Reconsideration
MARTIN
P. HONIGBERG, CHAIRMAN
The
Commission hereby denies the motions for reconsideration of
Order No. 25, 950, which dismissed Eversource's petition
in this docket.
I.
PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
On
February 18, 2016, Public Service Company of New Hampshire
d/b/a Eversource Energy (Eversource), a New Hampshire
electric distribution company (EDC) filed a petition for
approval of a proposed 20-year contract with Algonquin Gas
Transmission, LLC (Algonquin). The contract would have been
for natural gas capacity on Algonquin's Access Northeast
Pipeline Project (Access Northeast pipeline). Eversource also
sought recovery of associated costs through a new
distribution rate tariff, to be assessed on all of
Eversource's customers. Following the submission of legal
briefs by interested persons regarding the Eversource
proposal, the Commission dismissed the petition. See
Order No. 25, 950 (October 6, 2016). In that order, the
Commission concluded as a matter of law that Eversource's
proposal conflicted with the principles and requirements of
the Electric Restructuring Statute, RSA Chapter 374-F. For a
more extensive description of the procedural history of this
matter, together with the Commission's legal analysis
regarding its decision to dismiss the petition, see Order No.
25, 950.
On
November 7, 2016, Eversource filed a timely motion for
reconsideration of the Commission's decision to dismiss
its petition. Algonquin also filed a motion for
reconsideration on November 7, 2016. On November 14, 2016,
the Coalition to Lower Energy Costs (CLEC) made a filing
styled a "Response" to the Eversource and Algonquin
motions for reconsideration, broadly supportive of the
Eversource and Algonquin pleadings. On November 15, 2016, the
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) filed a timely objection to
the Eversource and Algonquin requests for reconsideration.
Also on November 15, 2016, the Office of the Consumer
Advocate (OCA) filed a timely objection to the...